Britain And France Lost Their Power Of Influence History Essay

After the atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ; Stalin began to be leery of America. [ Stalin ] â€Å" aˆÂ ¦his leery character led him astray by imputing to Western authorities aˆÂ ¦ † ( He believed that the Americans wanted to hold an influence in Europe that would rule the communist parts of Europe ; one would believe that this belief would farther act upon his intuition. â€Å" From 1947 on Stalin regarded the consolidation of the two axis and the comparative growing of the US influence in Europe as a foregone decision. † ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins24 ) Future USSR leaders besides had the same premise of the West ‘s involvement in ruling Eastern Europe. †¦ † he [ Khrushchev ] came to believe that West Germany politicians were utilizing the United States to derive power over GDR and to travel to domination in cardinal Europe. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins 198 ) â€Å" Stalin ‘s ambivalency seemed progressi vely baleful from Western position, and Washington and London began to look at the Soviet enlargement sanctioned at Yalta and Potsdam in a wholly different visible radiation. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins, 37 ) The writer show indicates that â€Å" Stalin feared the Americans and the British would ‘renege the Yalta understanding. ‘ † ( Zubok and pleshakou, Kremlins, 41 ) Stalin ‘s overpowering intuition lead to the Occidents on intuition which made them increases their attending on the enlargement of communism in Europe ; through the Yalta and Potsdam conference. There were many miscommunications within the USSR ; which in bend caused them to misinterpret the power and influence of the West. Some of the chief misinterpretations were brought approximately by Litvinov and Molotov who Stalin looked for to acquire accurate information on the West. Litvinov, every bit good as most perceivers, failed to anticipate the nature and way of American ‘s postwar engagement in the universe. In fact, this cognition of the United States led him to the wrong premise that Washington might return to isolationism and withdraw from international organisations. He seemed to believe that it would be much easier for the USSR and Great Britain to come to an â€Å" amicable understanding † about the European colony if the moralistic and expansionist United States would non interfere. ( Zubok and pleshakou, Kremlins,38-39 ) The false information Litvinov provided caused the leaders of the USSR to misinterpret the strength of the West. â€Å" Stalin and Molotov strongly believed that the US- British differences would be acute plenty to forestall their collusion against the Kremlin. â€Å" ( Zubok and pleshakou, Kremlins, 95 ) The concluding papers sent from the Soviet embassy in Washington to Moscow on September 27, 1946, reflected Molotov ‘s thought instead than the positions of the embassador. The United States, the wire said, abandoned its prewar tradition of isolationism and was now driven by the desire for universe supremacyaˆÂ ¦ The American authorities would halt at nil â€Å" to restrict or free the influence of the Soviet Union. â€Å" aˆÂ ¦ The wire pointed out â€Å" a secret understanding † between the Unites States and England â€Å" refering the partial division of the universe on the footing of common grants. ( zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins, 101-102 ) â€Å" The intelligence from Washington made the Kremlin leaders believe even more that they could destruct western integrity by revenging in West Berlin. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins107 ) This false information lead the USSR to desire to busy West Germany as a buffer zone to protect USSR and to distribute communism. The Marshall program was created by the Unites States to resuscitate the economic system of Europe. To the USSR the Marshall program was regarded as ; â€Å" The danger of American economic blackmail of Soviet Union ( the potency usage of economic assistance as purchase ) . â€Å" ( Zoubok and pleshakou, Kremlins,104 ) The USSR refused to hold any portion of the Marshall program. â€Å" The absence of the Soviet in Paris, Molotov seemed to believe, would assist worsen the tenseness in the emerging Western axis. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,106 ) Many communist believed it was good for the USSR to non hold a portion in the Marshall program. Zhdanov commented that â€Å" Communists will derive nil through peaceable cooperation within coalitionaˆÂ ¦ they may alternatively lose what they ‘ve travel. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,131 ) The United States initial purpose of the Marshall program was â€Å" aˆÂ ¦ as they [ USSR ] rapidly learned, was to strip the Soviet Union of its influence in Germany and cardinal Europe. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,105 ) The miscommunication with in the USSR caused them to misinterpret the connotations of the Marshall program. The Western powers wanted to stop the influence of communism in Europe and in making so ; â€Å" Western powers and leaders behaved the lone manner they could- as enemies of the Soviet Union and socialist manner of life. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,89 ) In order to incorporate the spread of communism the aˆÂ ¦ † British and American business zone would be united into ‘Bizonia, ‘ the U.S military personnels would remain, and the Sovietss would be excluded from control over the Ruhr industry. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,100 ) The Unites provinces was rigorous to the containment of communism that â€Å" aˆÂ ¦it made clear that it would non digest a neutralised incorporate Germany that might gravitate towards the Kremlin. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,107 ) This made the USSR gain the strength and influence of the West. The Kremlin swayers understood that â€Å" the harder they drove against Western political relations, the more their opposition contributed to the execution of American separationist program in Germany and Europe. â€Å" ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,107 ) â€Å" By 1947 it had become crystal clear that the western leaders regarded their cooperation with Stalin during the war old ages as an unfortunate episode that was to be followed by considerable withdrawal. â€Å" ( Zukob and Pleshakou, Kremlins,114 ) Although the USSR still believed that it was owed a batch for its engagement in the war. â€Å" Khrushchev steadfastly believed that the USSR has been wronged, mistreated by the United States after the terminal of the Second World War. â€Å" ( zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,182 ) Khrushchev ‘s belief was back up by an proclamation from the TASS. â€Å" On January 13th, 1953 TASS announced that for old ages, there had been a secret plan to assassinate Soviet leaders and that this secret plan was directed by the Western intelligence bureaus † ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,114 ) aˆÂ ¦ With this proclamation the USSR felt betrayed by the Allies it had fought with, and sacrificed a batch for. The USSR still felt tha t was to be owed a great trade for its work. â€Å" Two coevalss of Soviet diplomats after him [ Stalin ] believed that the Soviet Union was entitled to particular security agreements in Meleagris gallopavo † ( Zubok and Pleshakou, Kremlins,98 ) aˆÂ ¦ After the decease of Stalin, there were alterations in the regulation of the USSR. Before his decease Stalin ruled USSR with his ain involvement and temper in head ; which were driven by his intuition of the West. â€Å" Most Western analysts felt that the Kremlin ‘s enterprises after Stalin ‘s decease were either new, improved Soviet tactics in engaging the cold war or execution of policy designed to cut down international tensenesss bit by bit. â€Å" ( Zubok and Plshakou, Kremlins,139 ) Khrushchev who was Stalin ‘s replacement ousted Stalin and his signifier of regulation. Khrushchev wanted to â€Å" outfox the ‘dark forces ‘ in the united States- to do them abandon their policies of haughtiness, no acknowledgment, and strength towards the USSR. â€Å" ( Zubok and Plshakou, Kremlins,184 ) The perceptual experience and misperception from the US and the USSR were really of import. They influenced or started the fire of tenseness between the two states that would subsequently on lead to scientific rebellion of atomic arms ; and the cold war. The misgiving, usage of false information, the influence of capitalist economy in states that the USSR wanted to distribute communism, the deficiency of regard and that that the USSR received for assisting the Alliess in the 2nd universe war, and the decease of Stalin and a new leader all lead to the misperception and perceptual experience between the US and USSR which was the starting point of the tenseness between the two states.

Nursing Diagnosis Handbook Essay

â€Å"It isn’t fair. I’ve worked so hard all my life, I don’t deserve this,† thought Mrs. Ross as she looked down at her right leg where a large wound gaped open. Two weeks ago, she had a femoral-popliteal bypass, which got infected. The wound was opened up and was healing slowly by secondary intention. It was painful, raw, and frightening. She put a hand on her chest and raised the head of the bed higher so she could catch her breath and stare out the window. Nursing Assessment Including Client Story Mrs. Ross is a previous landowner and farmer’s wife with extensive acreage. Her husband died 2 years ago, and the land was sold. She lives alone in the farmhouse and has help coming in two times a week. As she grew older, she isolated herself in her home and rarely went out. She has had multiple health problems. In her 30s, she attempted suicide and was rescued. She speaks rapidly and seems unable to hold still. Ten years ago, she was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but she continued to smoke two packs of cigarettes a day. Five years ago, she was diagnosed with heart failure, yet still she continued to smoke. Two years ago, she developed disabling pain in her right foot and leg. She stopped smoking and worked hard to get healthy. Her right foot turned almost black, she could no longer walk, and she agreed to have a femoral-popliteal bypass. After surgery, when the infection set in the leg, she was very angry and sputtered at everyone. She was transferred to the long-term care section of the hospital. Vital signs are: BP 96/62; pulse: 99 to 122 beats per minute and irregular; respirations: 20 breaths per minute. Heart sounds are irregular and distant; peripheral pulses are very weak; dorsalis pedis pulse is present in both legs but weak; lung sounds include wheezes and coarse crackles throughout; and oxygen saturation is 88% to 90%, on oxygen at 3 L. A wound vac is attached to the wound to help close the large opening. Mrs. Ross has not been out of bed for 4 days. She is eating minimally.

Cardiovascular Disease Among Urban Malaysians Health And Social Care Essay

Cardiovascular Disease Among Urban Malaysians Health And Social Care Essay Results from INTERHEART global case-control study (Yusuf et al. 2004, Anand et al. 2008) concluded that the following nine potentially modifiable risk factors account for over 90% of the risk of an acute myocardial infarction (in order of highest to lowest population attributable risk for Southeast Asian and Japanese subgroup): dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, hypertension, smoking, regular physical activity, regular alcohol consumption, psychosocial factors, diabetes mellitus, daily fruit and vegetable consumption. There are six established major risk factors for coronary heart disease: adverse diet, above-optimal levels of serum total cholesterol and blood pressure, overweight/obesity, diabetes mellitus and cigarette smoking (Stamler 2005). Urbanization Urban areas are defined as gazetted areas and their adjoining built-up areas with a combined population of 10 000 persons or more at the time of the consensus (Mahari et al. 2009). The fraction of rural population in Malaysia was 4 0.4 % in 2000 and an estimated 38.4 % in 2007, compared to Switzerland with 26.6 % in 2007 (UN Demographic Yearbook 2009). The rapid urbanization of the world brings significant changes to lifestyles. Nowadays more than 50% of the world’s population is already living in urban areas, and and estimated 70% by 2050 (WHO 2010). Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease risk factors A major trend in developing countries is the epidemiological transition from communicable causes of death to non-communicable causes. Projections by Mathers et Loncar (2006) estimate that globally the proportions of deaths due to non-communicable diseases will rise from 59% in 2002 to 69% in 2030. According to Malaysia’s statistics of death, ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease are already considered the leading causes of death in 2007 (Department of Statistics Malaysia 2009). Malaysia is strongly affected by the above mentioned health-transition. The National Health and Morbidity Su rvey (NHMS) III (2006) showed that the prevalence of obesity has more than tripled in a decade (from 4.4% in 1996 to 14.0% in 2006), the prevalence of hypertension has increased by about one third in 10 years (from 33% to 43%) and the prevalence of newly diagnosed and known diabetes has almost doubled in the same period. The prevalence of diabetes is significantly higher in urban areas, whereas the rural population is significantly more affected by hypertension and tobacco use. Studies from other areas of the developing world show divergent results. A study from Vietnam (Pham et al. 2009) confirmed the higher prevalence of hypertension in the rural population of the Mekong Delta (rural male 27%, female 16%). On the other side a higher prevalence of hypertension in urban subjects was found in the National Nutrition and Health Survey 2002 in China (Wu et al. 2008) and a systematic review in Sub-Saharan Africa (Addo et al. 2007). Concerning smoking a recent study from China (Ho et al. 2010) revealed a higher prevalence of ever-smokers among urban young women. In a semi-rural community, Chia and Srinivas (2009) found a high mean predicted coronary heart disease risk: 20-25% for men and 11-13% for women (mean age of the subjects 65.4 years(Â ±8)). Studies from Vietnam (Pham et al. 2009), Brazil and Mexico (Ford et Mokdad 2008) revealed a higher prevalence of obesity in urban areas than in rural areas. With a value of 11.6 % Malaysia has the second highest estimated comparative prevalence of diabetes mellitus in South East Asia for 2010 (with Singapore representing the highest prevalence), which is more than double of highly developed Japan (Sicree et al. 2006). Dietary imbalances in South-Asian populations are common: there is often a low intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and fibre, and high intake of saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates and trans-isomer fatty acids (Isharwal et al. 2009, Misra et al. 2009).

Remarkable Artist. Marina Abramovic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Remarkable Artist. Marina Abramovic - Essay Example Few performers of art elicit mixed reactions on stage such as those promoted by Marina Abramovic. Few artists can eclipse her daring artistic expression while still maintaining the sanity if the world. As such, this makes Marina Abramovic a unique performer deserving of accolades across the board. She is, in fact, one of the most publicly recognizable artists in the contemporary world. Her approach to art and her use of her own body, in expression of artistic gestures is somewhat of a marvel that is distinctively rare in contemporary society. This is the rationale for its having a significant impact on art lovers. Throughout the decades, Abramovic has tested the relationship between artist and audience. In addition, she has taken her mind and body to the limits of performance and emerged unhurt. Such daring feats continue to characterize her performances across the globe. She has cut herself, dragged herself, and made her naked body the subject of abuse of a vicious crowd. All in the name of creating pieces of art. These are but an example of the experiences she goes through in her endeavor of producing pieces of art. Unlike theater performance, where almost everything is forged, studio performances are characterized by a sense of reality hinged on the fact that everything in the art and subsequent performance are real. In theater performances, the blood in performance is phony. However, in studio performance best exemplified by the works by Abramovic, are characterized by real blood. ... In theater performances, the blood in performance is phony. However, in studio performance best exemplified by the works by Abramovic, are characterized by real blood. This shows the level of realism that studio performances give to the audience. In such a setting, the likes of Marina fit perfectly (Stiles, Abramovic?, Biesenbach and Iles 2008, p. 25). It is the fact that this self-expression, being of incomprehensible means, which is somewhat beyond the capabilities of the audience, which makes her performances unique (Abramovic, 1997, p. 76). The performances of this artist are distinctively characterized by feelings of both pleasure and disappointment. This is especially so when her background in brought into context. The war torn Yugoslavia where Marina Abramovic grew up is expected to shape her beliefs and thinking. However, this could not be further from the truth. Through her performances, a different Yugoslavia is depicted. It is this separation of beliefs and intrinsic quali ties of her performances, which propels her fame. Yugoslavia is characterized by civil war, genocide, and extreme nationalism. However, contrary to the expectations sourced from knowledge of her native country, her works of art exude elements of innovation and experimentation. It is only via the understanding of her childhood background would the true remarkable essence of her work become known. Abramovic was born in a war torn nation, with the national army allied parents, and a somewhat underprivileged background. As such, her motivation and inspiration of her works of art are not immediately clear to the audience; the aura seems to be self-made. She

Working Capital Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Working Capital Management - Essay Example The paper tells that working capital for any firm is defined as the amount of money or current assets required by an organization for its everyday running. Liquidity in a business ensures that it remains solvent and that all its operations can be successfully undertaken. Cash, therefore, is a crucial part of the survival of any business organization. For this reason, sound financial management policies are paramount to the success of any business. Working capital management also involves providing finances for investment in the short term assets that are essential for the day to day running of the organization. They include reserve for unexpected costs, pre paid costs like operating licenses and insurance policies. Cyclic or seasonal financial needs should also be met. A clear example is the excessive spending of credit card holders during festive seasons like Christmas, where the banks experience an increase in lending. Good financial management will ensure that the banks can give a s much money as possible. There is also a delicate balance between too much solvency and profit maximization of an institution. Citibank, the principal operating subsidiary of Citicorp are among the biggest financial institutions in the world. Citibank has many international branches especially in south East Asia. In 1983, Citibank’s country manager for Indonesia, Melhi Mistri, was faced with the task of increasing profitability while managing the banks operating capital in line with reviews of its operating budget. He also had the mome

Individual Savings Account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual Savings Account - Essay Example Good thing about ISA's is that Fred does not have to pay tax on the income earned from the savings fund. Fred Murray can try Barnsley BS. It offers 2.65% rate for savings from 1, 2.85% from 10,000, and 3% from 20,000. There is also the fixed rate ISA from Northern Rock which offers 3.5% interest for a minimum balance of 500. C. It would be better if Henry Murray would buy the three-bedroom terraced house since there is a benefit from it if it were rented for 800 a month. In addition to that, the value of the house may increase in time. Costing 117,000, the house could be paid in a year or two with the income from the students' rent. A buy to let mortgage suitable for him is First Direct. It is a fixed type of mortgage, meaning that monthly repayments will remain constant regardless of the standard variable interest rate. With this, he will know exactly what the repayments are. D. Bill Murray could start paying while he is still studying. He must make sure to save an amount of money every month. This will lower the interest he will have to pay. Getting a job right after school will surely help too. It is advisable to look for a job in a government institution. They could offer assistance with payment of student loans. He could also look for student assistance programs and search for options for payment and find the one most suitable for him. He must ensur

Reading Reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading Reflection - Assignment Example One of the most important consequences of the globalization process has been the multi-cultural environment of the communities. It has therefore made the role of community development practitioner a highly desirable and essential one. Social workers are also paid employee and their work environment should also come under the purview of ESA so they are not exploited in terms of working environment or minimum wages or even due to any diversity issues. I am also highly distressed that OHSA is indifferent to the working conditions of servants who work in the private residents. People working as servants in the residences of rich are more vulnerable to physical, mental and financial exploitation. It is important that all types of working people who get paid should be protected by the state’s employment laws, irrespective of conditions, whatsoever. Indeed, as a social worker, my first priority would be fighting for the rights of the ‘servants’ who have a right to basic minimum wages and secured employment

St. Jude's Children Research Hospital Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

St. Jude's Children Hospital - Research Paper Example These organizations range from government bodies, insurance companies, charities to religious authorities. However, in United States of America, there is no universal health care system. The health care system in the US has always been under debate. In such a scenario, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is one of its unique kinds whose main aim is to perform vast clinical research in the quest of finding new treatment options and providing free medical care to children (Sisk, Elizabeth, Clare, Belinda, and Shawna). The research hospital was funded by independent individuals as well as organizational charities. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is not only one of the largest charitable hospital’s in United States but also among the pioneers in cancer research. St. Jude Children’s Research hospital treats the children from United States as well as from other parts of the world. Above all, the families in the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospita l do not have to give any money for the treatment of a disease that they cannot afford ("St. Jude Children Research Hospital†) The organizational structure of St. Jude research Hospital is run by highly effective team from different disciplines of health care system. The whole team is proactively dedicated to increase the work efficiency and developing Quality Improvement plans. St. Jude Children’s Research hospital leadership is very focused in monitoring the survival rate after the treatment. Within the hospital St. Jude Research Hospital has a Research Community that focuses on the survival rate of the patients. They have set different committees at organizational levels that perform their respective roles which are as follows, Steering Committee: Is the higher management committee that includes the leaders of investigators, head of the projects and chief executive officers. Their main role and duty is to

Early American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Early American History - Essay Example It all depended on which next male heir was available to fulfill the position. Women did not hold any government positions. These were only restricted to males within the tribes (Native Languages of the Americas). While men were out warring for the tribe, hunting for food, trading good with other tribes, and governing the people, women were responsible for the care of the children and overseeing domestic matters. They were responsible for the welfare of the family as a whole. They saw to it that meals were prepared and that their husbands were well cared for. Nothing has ever been said about women owning property, as the Algonquin's were nomadic people. They moved about quite a bit, as they had to settle were the food supply was greatest (Native Language of the Americas). As far as economics was concerned, these people primarily survived on trading. Some of the items that they traded were beadworks, tobacco, and other goods with other neighboring tribes, such as the Iroquois, whenever they were not warring with them (Native Language of the Americas). The political, social, and economic characteristics of the Iroquois were very similar to the Algonquin's; however, there were a few differences. Like the Algonquin's, the Iroquois engaged in trading, and their tribes were led by chiefs. ... Unlike the Algonquin people, the Iroquois were not nomadic. While they did hunt for food, their farming lifestyle enabled them to reside in one place (Native Languages of the Americas). Though the Iroquois were led by chiefs, their government was very similar to the United States government of today. As a matter of fact, some of the characteristics of our government were derived from the Iroquois Confederacy. While the Algonquin chiefs were only selected through heredity, Iroquois chief were elected, just as people are elected for offices today. While women were not able to be chiefs, they were certainly allowed to vote (Native Languages of the Americas). The social, political, and economic characteristics of the Muskogee Indians were pretty much the same as those of the Iroquois but with a few subtle differences. Men hunted and fought for the protection of their people, while women stayed behind to care for the families. Just like Iroquois women, Muskogee women grew crops for consumption. On the other hand, Muskogee women did not own their own property, and they did not participate in the election of government officials, nor did they hold government positions (Net Industries). When comparing the sexual divisions of labor of the English settlers, the Iroquois, and the societies of Western Africa, we can see that while there are some similarities, there are also some drastic differences. One similarity that all three groups share is that the women stayed home and cared for the needs of the family. They made sure the members of the family were well fed, as they were the cooks of the house, and they cared for the children. The men always held high positions in government, and they had more authority in society. The differences, however, were the English

Role of Youth in Pakistani Politics Essay Example for Free

Role of Youth in Pakistani Politics Essay Overview of role of Pakistani youth in Politics If we look at the history of Pakistani politics it has always been dominated by few families and dictators. Common man has suffered at the hands of aristocrats, and among those common men live the young men and women, who are spoken highly of! The history tells us that political parties have always used the the youth to achieve their political targets but looking at the bigger picture, the role of youth in Pakistani politics has always been limited. Never has the true democracy be at the helm thanks to corrupt and substandard political infra-structure. Men with money, or shall we say, the big players have always dominated the political playground. Amid all the hypocrisy, the youth has always been used as political horses. The â€Å"Kings† have used the horses to well effect but never have they empowered the resilient armed men! Like pawns in a chess game, the kings have used the youth to its benefit but never let it express itself. Sighs! In recent times, a hope arose in the shape of Youth Parliament. It created optimism, a fresh wave of breath. Young intellectuals were given importance, and it seemed finally Pakistan was on the verge of revolution. An in-house revolution, that would change the face of Pakistan on the political front. But the house never realized its potential. It was suppressed under the might of the wealthy parliamentarians. Quaid-e-Azams vision of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam saw youth as a major asset for the newly created state i.e. Pakistan and repeatedly emphasized the role of youth in Pakistani politics. He believed, youth was vital ingredient to take the country forward. His sayings reflect that he saw the young men and women as the leaders of the future. â€Å"Pakistan is proud of her youth, particularly the students who have always been in the forefront in the hour of trial and need. You are the nation’s leaders of tomorrow and you must fully equip yourself by discipline, education and training for the arduous task lying ahead of you. You should realise the magnitude of your responsibility and be ready to bear it.† – Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In the light of his saying, it is a fair assessment that he had a different vision of Pakistan in comparison with what the country has become. Read more:  Current Political Situation of Pakistan Essay He clearly suggested that youth of Pakistan were to be regarded as a major asset. Our current political system is not only sabotaged by the so called â€Å"54 families†, but there is not much hope that the current situation would change in the near future. An allocation of 1.6% of total GDP is a testimony of that! We highlighted the major flaws in the education system of Pakistan, which need immediate addressing! It is critical that the aristocrats of the nation understand the critical need to improve the current political and education situation at federal, provincial, and local levels. It is perhaps the only escape route available to move away from the current economic, socio-cultural, and political crisis. Despite the troublesome situation, there has emerged another ray of hope, the ember had never died. The elections are not far away and every party has started their election campaign. While the only pleasant change in their campaigns this time around is that all the political parties have realized the importance of youth. The political power-houses are targeting them on a very serious note. Imran Khan has been back-rolling his election campaign on the base of youth favored policy and he has to be credited for his policies and thinking differently. Now is the time for youth to take the responsibility and play their role to change the conventional political system in Pakistan. So if we want to bring true revolution in Pakistan then our youth needs to participate and try hard to change this system. We hope that its a start of a new era! A better era!

Effects on the Fetus During Pregnancy

Effects on the Fetus During Pregnancy This essay will describe prenatal development, labour and birth. Before getting pregnant women take folic acid, this helps prevent birth defects that can affect the brain and spinal cord. Women wanting to get pregnant will also ensure that they eat healthily and drink less alcohol. Prenatal development is the period from conception to birth, it has three periods within the nine-month period; the start of life occurs when the sperm and ovum unite, this is the germinal stage and lasts between 8 and 10 days. The fertilised egg is called a zygote, the zygote will divide itself again and again, after approximately a week it will implant itself into the wall of the uterus, by two weeks this will be completed and is now an embryo, the embryo is protected by the amniotic sac, it is made of two membrane sheets the outer sheet is the chorion and the inner layer the amnion The embryonic stage lasts until the end of the second month, the embryo begins to take on the look of a baby with a body, head, arms and legs. The final stage is the foetal stage, the foetus will begin to develop fingernails and eyelids as well as begin to move, by the seventh month the foetus can breathe and cry; the last two months is when the foetus grows and puts on weight. (Thomas Keenan and Subhad ra Evans, 2010) During pregnancy, the mother will be monitored by the doctor and midwife to check for blood type, anaemia, urine tests, glucose testing and blood pressure. Ultra sounds will take place at 12 weeks and 20 weeks, this is to check the babys heart rate and growth. The bump will also be regularly measured. The first stage of labour begins with contractions this starts with a backache and then gradually becomes stronger, also at this point the mother will have a show this is where the plug of mucus from your cervix comes away. Next the waters may break this is the amniotic fluid that the baby grows in. In the second stage of labour the contractions continue they get stronger and last longer, as this happens the cervix softens and dilates. Once the cervix has expanded enough, usually 10cm, the mother will begin to bear down and push. The head will come first; breech birth is when the feet come first, once the head is born the baby is then turned so it can arch its back and allow the shoulder, one at a time to pass, the rest of the body then passes through easily. The umbilical cord is then cut. The third stage of labour comes after the birth, the placenta separates itself from the wall of the uterus and is pushed out by one final contraction, often the mother has been given an injection and this helps shrink the uterus allowing the midwife to pull it out. The midwife will check that the placenta and cord are intact otherwise there is a risk of infection. (Reynolds, 1987) Whilst in the womb the baby will be covered in vernix and lanugo, the vernix acts as a moisturiser for the baby whilst it is in the amniotic sac and lanugo are fine soft hairs that cover the baby, it acts as an anchor to hold the vernix. This usually falls off just before birth but some babies still have lanugo when they are born. The midwife will check the baby using the APGAR score 1 minute and 5 minutes after the birth, this is to check activity, pulse, grimace, appearance and respiration. The baby is scored on the results: 7-10 baby is in good shape; 4-6 baby may need help; 3 or less immediate life saving measures needed. Postpartum care begins after the birth and lasts 6-8 weeks, this entails making sure the mother eats well, rests enough and cares for her vagina. A new mother will go through physical and emotional changes and it is important that she looks after herself. There are many things that can affect the foetus whilst being pregnant, this can either be genetic and chromosomal such as spina bifida and Downs syndrome, Downs syndrome is caused by having an extra chromosome instead of 46 they have 47 chromosomes. This can be detected early in the pregnancy through ultra-scans and a test called amniocentesis, the doctor will extract a small amount of the amniotic fluid and examine it. (Reynolds, 1987)ÂÂ   Infections that have been contracted by the mother can cause congenital anomalies such as TORCH, this includes Toxoplasmosis, other (syphilis, varicella-zoster, parvovirus B19), Rubella, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Herpes infections. These infections cause mild maternal morbidity and cause serious consequences to the foetus, unfortunately treatment has no effect on the outcome of the foetus. A vaccine called the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) is given to all children in 2 doses, first between 12 to 15 months and then again between 4 and 6 y ear old to provent Rubella. Other factors are teratogens, these are classified as physical infectious or chemical agents and they can cause defects in the embryo or foetus; this can be through smoking and drinking and can affect the foetus by low birth weight or foetal alcohol syndrome. (FAS) Drugs such as cocaine are harmful to the foetus, babies exposed to cocaine tend to be born prematurely or have low birth weight, cocaine exposed babies are three times as likely to have a very small head circumference or to show some signs of neurological abnormalities. (Helen Bee and Denise Boyd, 2004) Unfortunately, it is still unclear what the long-term effects of cocaine use are to the unborn child. The mothers health and age can affect the foetus, the mother needs to have nutrients and calories to prevent malnutrition otherwise there is the risk of stillbirth, low infant birth weight or infant death in the first year. Also, ensuring the mother has folic acid reduces the risk of spina bifida this is an abnormality in which the lower part of the spine does not close. (Helen Bee and Denise Boyd, 2004) Whilst it is important that the mother has a sufficient diet it is also important that she does not put on too much weight, this could lead to a cesaren delivery and be prone to postpartum obesity this includes heart disease and diabetes. According to the Human Reproduction journal, data was used to look at the risks associated with pregnancy in women over the age of 35, their findings showed that there is an increased risk of gestational diabetes, placenta praevia and breech presentation and still birth was higher in older women. (M Jolly, N Sebire, J Harris, S Robinson and L Regan, 2000) Fortunately, there is a lot of support to help expectant mothers such as doctors, midwives and health visitors. Pregnant mothers are routinely monitored to check the development of the foetus and are assessed for any complications that may arise, it is important to inform the doctor of any family impediments so that regular tests can be conducted and support is put in place for the family. The attachment theory originated from the work of John Bowlby, he states that all children need to form a bond with someone, not necessarily the mother but the main caregiver; this is known as monotropism. Bowlby said that babies need to maintain proximity to their caregivers. He followed on from Freuds psychodynamic theory and from ethology which is the study of animal behaviour, to develop his theory about the bonding relationship that develops between parents and children and the disruption to that relationship that can occur through separation, bereavement or emotional deprivation. (Barnes, 1995) Bowlby felt there were 4 stages of attachment, the first stage preattachment occurs in the first few months of life, the child will not show any preference to any caregiver. The second stage is attachment-in-the-making and this is from 2-7 months of age, the child will begin to discriminate between who they know and who they do not know and will have a preference. The third stage is clear-cut-attachment, the child has developed attachments with their main caregivers and will actively seek them out, they also show signs of distress when they cannot see their caregiver. The final stage is goal-corrected partnership and this occurs from about 2 years of age, the child begins to be aware of the caregivers feelings, up to this time the relationship has been one-sided, now the relationship is being reciprocated. (Peter Smith, Helen Cowie and Mark Blades, 2003) The maternal deprivation hypothesis by John Bowlby came about from a study he did with delinquent boys, the study showed that continued disruption of the attachment between child and primary caregiver resulted in the child struggling to develop relationships with others as well as having emotional and behavioural problems. Bowlby felt there was a critical period, if the child had not formed an attachment by the time they were 2, then attachment would not occur, causing the child to then develop issues later in life. Bowlby later amended this to 5 years. Michael Rutter developed Bowlbys theory further by suggesting that if a child does not develop an attachment at all this is privation, but if the child has formed a bond but this bond has been broken this is deprivation. Privation may occur because the child has had a lot of carers, Rutter felt that these children who are not distressed when separated will likely go on to be clingy, attention-seeking and as they get older the inability to stick to rules, form lasting relationships and in some cases anti-social behaviour and intellectual development. (McLeod, 2008) As a result of Bowlby and Rutters findings there has been changes in the care environment. Before children without parents would stay in orphanages or childrens institutions, now children go into foster care and be with one family as opposed to having many carers. Pre-schools now assign a key worker to help children integrate into school life this allows the child to form an attachment with them making the child feel more secure. Previously children staying in hospital would stay on their own now hospitals allow mothers/caregivers to remain with their children so the child is not left alone feeling scared and worried. Peer relationships are important to the social development of the child, it is through interacting with peers that children learn about their social world and how to interact within it. In the home the child will interact with their parents and siblings, Older siblings tend to have a lot of patience with their younger siblings and they act as their attachment figure in strange situations. Research does suggest however that the child will develop their social skills firstly through their parents, parents provide the playmates and watch the interactions ensuring behaviour is good, the parent will also play with the child themselves. Older siblings will be the ones that teach the child the rules of socialization. Babies from 2 months old are aware and look at one another, by 6 months they will smile and stare at others and by 1 year they will intentionally smile, frown and use other gestures to their play partner, they are aware of how the other behaves too and adjust their behaviour to respond to theirs. From 1 to 2 years the child will play alongside others, this is parallel play. Their interactions last longer and language will become a factor in play; as the child moves from 2 towards 3 they begin to understand rules of social exchange and can show empathy towards others. From 3 to 5 years the child

Harry Potter Essay -- essays papers

Harry Potter In the past couple years, there has been a growing phenomenon in the world of children's literature, this phenomenon is Harry Potter. J.K. Rowlings series of novels about a young wizard and his years at "Hogwarts School of Wizarding and Witchcraft," has become one of the most successful children's book series of all time. Before reading any of the now four novels, one may find it hard to believe that a children's novel may be so entertaining. But once one starts reading any of the four books, it is plain to see why these books are so popular. Before first reading a Harry Potter novel, I was skeptical that a children's book about an orphan wizard going to school would be entertaining. But within 15 minutes I found myself unable to stop reading. There are many elements, which contribute to this novels addictiveness. The character development is simple yet complex enough to get an adult reader interested. From the large gentle giant Hagrid, to the malicious trouble maker Lucious Malfoy. Another aspect which I believe makes the novel so great, is the authors wri...

Advantages of Buying an Existing Website :: Sell Websites Buy Web Sites

Advantages of Buying an Existing Website Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com With any new website you have two challenges: developing the product or service and then seeing what if anything, people are willing to pay you for it. Regardless of a website's past performance, an existing website will, at the very least, have a history from which you will be able to make certain decisions. Even if the website was not profitable in the past, your strengths may lend themselves perfectly to turning it into a viable venture. Furthermore, you have the ability to verify what the website did in the past that resulted in the current status of the operation. Pros: The website is 'up and running' already. It is likely to have an existing client base. The previous website owners are likely to lend support and goodwill. There is a tried and tested website formula to emulate. The website can be sold on by yourself. Generally more chance of success than starting a similar website from scratch. Cons: A large investment is often required, Website transfer costs i.e. lawyer, analysis, accountant etc.. A large amount of time required to research the opportunities available. Ease of Investigation In order to buy the right website, you will be required to do a thorough investigation of its past activities, its operations, its current status, the competition, the industry and its future potential. You will accumulate this information and then you will have to determine how it measures up with you at the helm. Clearly, this information gathering will be substantially more accurate and easier to obtain when dealing with an existing website, as you will have the resources available from which to get the details. Infrastructure You will have the benefit of purchasing a website that has an infrastructure including customers, suppliers, servers, and systems. This will allow you to focus on building the business as opposed to a start up or new website where everything begins at ground zero. Purchase Price Differences Buying an existing website does not mean that it will cost you more. In fact, many times it's less expensive than launching a new website. Even in those cases where it may require a premium, at least you know what you are getting if you investigate it properly. A new website will require a whole series of studies that will indicate that "theoretically' the website should do well.

Men and Women in Music Essay -- Gender Roles

Gender is a set of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that we typically associate with masculinity and femininity (Brym, 2011, p.76). A lot of times, these differences are socially constructed through various outlets – one of them being music. Often times there is a lot of confusion between the definition of â€Å"sex† and â€Å"gender†. An easy way to understand the two definitions is to remember that â€Å"sex† refers to biological differences between men and women and â€Å"gender† refers to culturally defined ways of being male or female. Through a process of gender socialization, we are enabled to understand how to be more masculine or feminine (Brym, 2011, p.89). Music is definitely a contributor in the process of gender socialization. In a sociology 100 class, on February 3rd 2011, a class discussion suggested that men are often characterized as violent, assertive, strong, and sexual instigators (reinforced by Pruitt, 2007). Since the beginning of time, men have been considered the dominant sex. In the same class discussion it was also suggested that women were emotional, motherly and insecure (again, reinforced by Pruitt, 2007). Unfortunately, women are seen as the weaker sex in society. This simplistic way of categorizing women and men is commonly referred to as gender stereotyping. Gender stereotyping is the â€Å"simplification† of common beliefs about men and women and the traits that they possess (Brym, 2011, p.156). Gender roles are socially constructed expectations on how males and females are required to behave in social settings (Brym, 2011, p.76). The problem with gender roles is that they’re socially constructed – meaning, it’s constantly changing. The term assumes that there are strict differences between men and women and the truth of t... ...be a part of. The women promote concepts like independence and freedom for women and have helped fuel the feminist movement in the world through music. Conversely, rap music is a Black male-dominated genre that promotes aggressiveness, sexuality and dominance over women (Conrad et al., 2009). This genre is notorious for being misogynistic and sexist towards women (Conrad et al., 2009). As the world continues to evolve and grow, hopefully women will get the recognition they deserve in music and in the world in general. This way, there can be equality between the sexes in every aspect of life. However, the only way that this can happen is by allowing space for women in male-dominated genres like rap. Music is a social phenomenon that is constantly bringing people all over the world together. Hopefully in years to come, we can eradicate all inequalities within music.

Foxy Originals expansion into the U.S. market Essay

The problem is determining which plans for expansion is best for Foxy Originals. AnalysisKluger and Orol established Foxy Originals (Foxy) in 1998, a Toronto-based jewellery firm. By designing and manufacturing high style fashion jewelry, Foxy earned a high reputation and their sales were increasing at a fast pace success in Canada. However, based on little by little saturation of Canadian markets, Foxy realized that it was time to expand U.S. market where jewelry market was 10 times bigger than Canadian one. Since America has a huge population base, Foxy has the opportunity to obtain more customers, which in return directly lead to more sales and revenue. As a result, the highest priority was to determine which distribution plans were best for Fox. The distributions include attending trade shows, hiring sales representatives, and a combination of both. U.S. trade shows play as a medium for both seller and buyers. The main advantage of U.S. trade shows is huge buyer volume. If Kluger and Orol attend 10 potential trade shows, they can enhance brand awareness, network with potential customers, and boost sales. On the other hand, high cost and potential risks are the main concern for Foxy. Kluger and Orol need five days of preparation for each show in order to get the best display effect, as well as the high cost for booth layout. Kluger and Orol can hire sales forces as an alternative. Kluger and Orol don’t want Foxy to be available on every street corner in United States. Instead, they aim at entering to key fashion centers such as New York and Los Angeles. Sales forces are just right to solve this issue. They know how to deal with local jewelry store and existing retailers, which is what Foxy just lack of. With some specific training, sales representatives could contribute to expansion U.S. market. However, finding some suitable people is not that easy. Carrying out both methods discussed above meanwhile sounds good, but a new problem  emerges—territory ownership. For instance, Kluger and Orol had have to pay for commission fees on all sales, if Foxy came to a trade show, say, New York while hiring a New York based sales representatives in the same time. This is an industry norm, so Foxy has to follow. The partners also considered about attending the trade shows in the major fashion hubs and sending their sales representatives to some smaller cities; however, if so, that doesn’t help Foxy to establish brand awareness in the United States, as these cities are not fashion-forward. Impact AnalysisImplementing distribution methods could generate some negative impacts if Foxy decides to enter into U.S market. As a result, the main impacts would affect Foxy’s design department and the logistic department. Jewelry designed by Foxy has been approved by Canadian. However, there is uncertainty about the how responsive American customers would be. If American customers prefer other style, whether Foxy needs to play up to U.S. market by changing design style, or hiring new designers? Moreover, Foxy should pay much attention to logistics, because delivering abroad is more complicated. Foxy needs to find a reliable deliver partner who could be responsible for delivering goods on ti me. Criteria for an Effective SolutionCost/Benefit: help Kluger and Orol pick the most cost-effective one to implement. Timeline: which Plans are faster? Complexity: is that distribution strategy easy to control and implement? Degree of Risk: assess each alternatives’ degree of risk Evaluation of AlternativesCost/Benefit Timeline Complexity Degree of Risk Total Points Trade Shows 3 3 3 3 12 Sales Forces 4 4 4 4 16 Combination 2 2 2 2 8 As shown in the Appendix A, each trade show costs $9,433.33 on average. In the best-case scenario, each trade show would generate $4,145.42 profit (Appendix B); however, trade show may lose money as well in the worst-case scenario, $-3,398.33. By adding total 10 potential trade shows together, Foxy would make profit from $-33,983.30 to $41,454.20, which depends on how many orders they receive at each show. Additionally, there are 10 shows during the year, which is effectively low. Preparation is complex as well. Kluger and Orol have to book tickets, arrange time, and set up booth. Also,  high uncertainty cannot be overlooked. A delayed flight may waste all the previous efforts they put. Hiring them could be a smart move, although sales forces would be compensated with a 15% commission on all sales. In comparison with trade shows, low investment and high yield is feature of hiring sales forces. Appendix A shows that hiring one sales representative for a year just cost company $6,380.00. In the low projection, each salesman may only sell 10 orders each month so that s/he just makes $19,588.00 profit ever year. Let’s assume that they luck out selling 15 orders per month, and then each salesman can make $32,572.00 annually. Moreover, hiring sales forces is much faster than previous option. By hiring them, Kluger and Orol could spend more time on running business and designing jewellery rather than struggling with difficulties they encounter in America. At first glance, a combination of trade show and hiring sales forces seem to be a perfect alternative, but that’s not true. The annually fixed costs for this combination is $110,253.30 (Appendix B), which is almost 7 times larger than hiring sale forces. These fixed costs are not dependent on the level of goods produced by the business. If sales performance is dissatisfactory, Foxy will take a bath. Plus, Foxy would have to compensate salesmen no matter how due to spillover sales. Therefore, high cost and high risk among other alternatives are main drawback of this option, no doubt. Recommendation As consultant, I highly recommend Foxy should hire sales forces for U.S. expansion. Costs of hiring sales representatives and level of risk are the lowest among other alternatives after comparing. Besides, sales representatives’ rich experience and wide network are fortune for Foxy to enter the U.S. market. In addition, by analyzing break-even point, hiring sales forces has relatively lower B-E point, which means less complexities and low risk to carry out. Simply put, hiring sales representative has several advantages—high return, high efficiency, and low investment. Only thing needed to be taken into consideration is the process of selecting, which is actually complicated. A qualified salesman could boost sales, but an unsuitable one could try to help but causing more trouble in process. Action Plan Action By Whom When Posting Job Kluger and Orol need to identify job requirement. Then HR department should follow normal hiring procedures posting jobs at website and employment agencies. By July, 2004 Selecting Schedule interviews with candidates and rank them. After Posting Providing Training Provide training to suitable sales representative; make them familiar with Foxy’s jewelry. Before 2005 Planning and Controlling Sales representatives carry out expansion plan in U.S. market. They need to provide timely feedback in order to help Foxy compare actual results with target performance. Since 2005 Foxy should hire sales forces and provide training to them by the end of 2004. As owners, Kluger and Orol should work with HR to draft the job requirement. Timely feedback is quite important once they start implementing plan, when Foxy encounters the block from local business. Furthermore, comparing actual results with target performance, Foxy can take actions to respond to these unexpected changes.

Chapter 26 The Second Task

â€Å"You said you'd already worked out that egg clue!† said Hermione indignantly. â€Å"Keep your voice down!† said Harry crossly. â€Å"I just need to – sort of fine-tune it, all right?† He, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at the very back of the Charms class with a table to themselves. They were supposed to be practicing the opposite of the Summoning Charm today – the Banishing Charm. Owing to the potential for nasty accidents when objects kept flying across the room. Professor Flitwick had given each student a stack of cushions on which to practice, the theory being that these wouldn't hurt anyone if they went off target. It was a good theory, but it wasn't working very well. Neville's aim was so poor that he kept accidentally sending much heavier things flying across the room – Professor Flitwick, for instance. â€Å"Just forget the egg for a minute, all right?† Harry hissed as Professor Flitwick went whizzing resignedly past them, landing on top of a large cabinet. â€Å"I'm trying to tell you about Snape and Moody†¦.† This class was an ideal cover for a private conversation, as everyone was having far too much fun to pay them any attention. Harry had been recounting his adventures of the previous night in whispered installments for the last half hour. â€Å"Snape said Moody's searched his office as well?† Ron whispered, his eyes alight with interest as he Banished a cushion with a sweep of his wand (it soared into the air and knocked Parvati's hat off). â€Å"What†¦d'you reckon Moody's here to keep an eye on Snape as well as Karkaroff?† â€Å"Well, I dunno if that's what Dumbledore asked him to do, but he's definitely doing it,† said Harry, waving his wand without paying much attention, so that his cushion did an odd sort of belly flop off the desk. â€Å"Moody said Dumbledore only lets Snape stay here because he's giving him a second chance or something†¦.† â€Å"What?† said Ron, his eyes widening, his next cushion spinning high into the air, ricocheting off the chandelier, and dropping heavily onto Flitwick's desk. â€Å"Harry†¦maybe Moody thinks Snape put your name in the Goblet of Fire!† â€Å"Oh Ron,† said Hermione, shaking her head sceptically, â€Å"we thought Snape was trying to kill Harry before, and it turned out he was saving Harry's life, remember?† She Banished a cushion and it flew across the room and landed in the box they were all supposed to be aiming at. Harry looked at Hermione, thinking†¦it was true that Snape had saved his life once, but the odd thing was, Snape definitely loathed him, just as he'd loathed Harry's father when they had been at school together. Snape loved taking points from Harry, and had certainly never missed an opportunity to give him punishments, or even to suggest that he should be suspended from the school. â€Å"I don't care what Moody says,† Hermione went on. â€Å"Dumbledore's not stupid. He was right to trust Hagrid and Professor Lupin, even though loads of people wouldn't have given them jobs, so why shouldn't he be right about Snape, even if Snape is a bit -â€Å" â€Å"- evil,† said Ron promptly. â€Å"Come on, Hermione, why are all these Dark wizard catchers searching his office, then?† â€Å"Why has Mr. Crouch been pretending to be ill?† said Hermione, ignoring Ron. â€Å"Its a bit funny, isn't it, that he cant manage to come to the Yule Ball, but he can get up here in the middle of the night when he wants to?† â€Å"You just don't like Crouch because of that elf, Winky,† said Ron, sending a cushion soaring into the window. â€Å"You just want to think Snape's up to something,† said Hermione, sending her cushion zooming neatly into the box. â€Å"I just want to know what Snape did with his first chance, if he's on his second one,† said Harry grimly, and his cushion, to his very great surprise, flew straight across the room and landed neatly on top of Hermione's. Obedient to Sirius's wish of hearing about anything odd at Hogwarts, Harry sent him a letter by brown owl that night, explaining all about Mr. Crouch breaking into Snape's office, and Moody and Snape's conversation. Then Harry turned his attention in earnest to the most urgent problem facing him: how to survive underwater for an hour on the twenty-fourth of February. Ron quite liked the idea of using the Summoning Charm again – Harry had explained about Aqua-Lungs, and Ron couldn't see why Harry shouldn't Summon one from the nearest Muggle town. Hermione squashed this plan by pointing out that, in the unlikely event that Harry managed to learn how to operate an Aqua-Lung within the set limit of an hour, he was sure to be disqualified for breaking the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy – it was too much to hope that no Muggles would spot an Aqua-Lung zooming across the countryside to Hogwarts. â€Å"Of course, the ideal solution would be for you to Transfigure yourself into a submarine or something,† Hermione said. â€Å"If only we'd done human Transfiguration already! But I don't think we start that until sixth year, and it can go badly wrong if you don't know what you're doing†¦.† â€Å"Yeah, I don't fancy walking around with a periscope sticking out of my head,† said Harry. â€Å"I s'pose I could always attack someone in front of Moody; he might do it for me†¦.† â€Å"I don't think he'd let you choose what you wanted to be turned into, though,† said Hermione seriously. â€Å"No, I think your best chance is some sort of charm.† So Harry, thinking that he would soon have had enough of the library to last him a lifetime, buried himself once more among the dusty volumes, looking for any spell that might enable a human to survive without oxygen. However, though he, Ron, and Hermione searched through their lunchtimes, evenings, and whole weekends – though Harry asked Professor McGonagall for a note of permission to use the Restricted Section, and even asked the irritable, vulture-like librarian. Madam Pince, for help – they found nothing whatsoever that would enable Harry to spend an hour underwater and live to tell the tale. Familiar flutterings of panic were starting to disturb Harry now, and he was finding it difficult to concentrate in class again. The lake, which Harry had always taken for granted as just another feature of the grounds, drew his eyes whenever he was near a classroom window, a great, iron-gray mass of chilly water, whose dark and icy depths were starting to seem as distant as the moon. Just as it had before he faced the Horntail, time was slipping away as though somebody had bewitched the clocks to go extra-fast. There was a week to go before February the twenty-fourth (there was still time)†¦there were five days to go (he was bound to find something soon)†¦three days to go (please let me find something†¦please)†¦ With two days left. Harry started to go off food again. The only good thing about breakfast on Monday was the return of the brown owl he had sent to Sirius. He pulled off the parchment, unrolled it, and saw the shortest letter Sirius had ever written to him. Send date of next Hogsmeade weekend by return owl. Harry turned the parchment over and looked at the back, hoping to see something else, but it was blank. â€Å"Weekend after next,† whispered Hermione, who had read the note over Harry's shoulder. â€Å"Here – take my quill and send this owl back straight away.† Harry scribbled the dates down on the back of Sirius's letter, tied it onto the brown owl's leg, and watched it take flight again. What had he expected? Advice on how to survive underwater? He had been so intent on telling Sirius all about Snape and Moody he had completely forgotten to mention the egg's clue. â€Å"What's he want to know about the next Hogsmeade weekend for?† said Ron. â€Å"Dunno,† said Harry dully. The momentary happiness that had flared inside him at the sight of the owl had died. â€Å"Come on†¦Care of Magical Creatures.† Whether Hagrid was trying to make up for the Blast-Ended Skrewts, or because there were now only two skrewts left, or because he was trying to prove he could do anything that Professor Grubbly-Plank could. Harry didnt know, but Hagrid had been continuing her lessons on unicorns ever since he'd returned to work. It turned out that Hagrid knew quite as much about unicorns as he did about monsters, though it was clear that he found their lack of poisonous fangs disappointing. Today he had managed to capture two unicorn foals. Unlike full-grown unicorns, they were pure gold. Parvati and Lavender went into transports of delight at the sight of them, and even Pansy Parkinson had to work hard to conceal how much she liked them. â€Å"Easier ter spot than the adults,† Hagrid told the class. â€Å"They turn silver when they're abou' two years old, an' they grow horns at aroun four. Don' go pure white till they're full grown, 'round about seven. They're a bit more trustin' when they're babies†¦don' mind boys so much†¦.C'mon, move in a bit, yeh can pat 'em if yeh want†¦give 'em a few o' these sugar lumps†¦. â€Å"You okay. Harry?† Hagrid muttered, moving aside slightly, while most of the others swarmed around the baby unicorns. â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry. â€Å"Jus' nervous, eh?† said Hagrid. â€Å"Bit,† said Harry. â€Å"Harry,† said Hagrid, clapping a massive hand on his shoulder, so that Harry's knees buckled under its weight, â€Å"I'd've bin worried before I saw yeh take on tha Horntail, but I know now yeh can do anythin' yeh set yer mind ter. I'm not worried at all. Yeh're goin ter be fine. Got yer clue worked out, haven' yeh?† Harry nodded, but even as he did so, an insane urge to confess that he didn't have any idea how to survive at the bottom of the lake for an hour came over him. He looked up at Hagrid – perhaps he had to go into the lake sometimes, to deal with the creatures in it? He looked after everything else on the grounds, after all – â€Å"Yeh're goin' ter win,† Hagrid growled, patting Harry's shoulder again, so that Harry actually felt himself sink a couple of inches into the soft ground. â€Å"I know it. I can feel it. Yeh're goin' ter win, Harry.† Harry just couldn't bring himself to wipe the happy, confident smile off Hagrid's face. Pretending he was interested in the young unicorns, he forced a smile in return, and moved forward to pat them with the others. By the evening before the second task. Harry felt as though he were trapped in a nightmare. He was fully aware that even if, by some miracle, he managed to find a suitable spell, he'd have a real job mastering it overnight. How could he have let this happen? Why hadn't he got to work on the egg's clue sooner? Why had he ever let his mind wander in class – what if a teacher had once mentioned how to breathe underwater? He sat with Hermione and Ron in the library as the sun set outside, tearing feverishly through page after page of spells, hidden from one another by the massive piles of books on the desk in front of each of them. Harry's heart gave a huge leap every time he saw the word â€Å"water† on a page, but more often than not it was merely â€Å"Take two pints of water, half a pound of shredded mandrake leaves, and a newt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't reckon it can be done,† said Ron's voice flatly from the other side of the table. â€Å"There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain the lake.† â€Å"There must be something,† Hermione muttered, moving a candle closer to her. Her eyes were so tired she was poring over the tiny print of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes with her nose about an inch from the page. â€Å"They'd never have set a task that was undoable.† â€Å"They have,† said Ron. â€Å"Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked, and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate.† â€Å"There's a way of doing it!† Hermione said crossly. â€Å"There just has to be!† She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information on the subject as a personal insult; it had never failed her before. â€Å"I know what I should have done,† said Harry, resting, face-down, on Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts. â€Å"I should've learned to be an Animagus like Sirius.† An Animagus was a wizard who could transform into an animal. â€Å"Yeah, you could've turned into a goldfish any time you wanted!† said Ron. â€Å"Or a frog,† yawned Harry. He was exhausted. â€Å"It takes years to become an Animagus, and then you have to register yourself and everything,† said Hermione vaguely, now squinting down the index of Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions. â€Å"Professor McGonagall told us, remember†¦you've got to register yourself with the Improper Use of Magic Office†¦what animal you become, and your markings, so you can't abuse it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦Hermione, I was joking,† said Harry wearily. â€Å"I know I haven't got a chance of turning into a frog by tomorrow morning†¦.† â€Å"Oh this is no use,† Hermione said, snapping shut Weird Wizarding Dilemmas. â€Å"Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?† â€Å"I wouldn't mind,† said Fred Weasley's voice. â€Å"Be a talking point, wouldn't it?† Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves. â€Å"What're you two doing here?† Ron asked. â€Å"Looking for you,† said George. â€Å"McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione.† â€Å"Why?† said Hermione, looking surprised. â€Å"Dunno†¦she was looking a bit grim, though,† said Fred. â€Å"We're supposed to take you down to her office,† said George. Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, who felt his stomach drop. Was Professor McGonagall about to tell Ron and Hermione off? Perhaps she'd noticed how much they were helping him, when he ought to be working out how to do the task alone? â€Å"We'll meet you back in the common room,† Hermione told Harry as she got up to go with Ron – both of them looked very anxious. â€Å"Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?† â€Å"Right,† said Harry uneasily. By eight o'clock. Madam Pince had extinguished all the lamps and came to chivvy Harry out of the library. Staggering under the weight of as many books as he could carry, Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room, pulled a table into a corner, and continued to search. There was nothing in Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks†¦nothing in A Guide to Medieval Sorcery†¦not one mention of underwater exploits in An Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms, or in Dreadful Denizens of the Deep, or Powers You Never Knew You Had and What to Do with Them Now You've Wised Up. Crookshanks crawled into Harry's lap and curled up, purring deeply. The common room emptied slowly around Harry. People kept wishing him luck for the next morning in cheery, confident voices like Hagrid's, all of them apparently convinced that he was about to pull off another stunning performance like the one he had managed in the first task. Harry couldn't answer them, he just nodded, feeling as though there were a golfball stuck in his throat. By ten to midnight, he was alone in the room with Crookshanks. He had searched all the remaining books, and Ron and Hermione had not come back. It's over, he told himself. You can't do it. You'll just have to go down to the lake in the morning and tell the judges†¦. He imagined himself explaining that he couldn't do the task. He pictured Bagman's look of round-eyed surprise, Karkaroffs satisfied, yellow-toothed smile. He could almost hear Fleur Delacour saying â€Å"I knew it†¦'e is too young, ‘e is only a little boy.† He saw Malfoy flashing his POTTER STINKS badge at the front of the crowd, saw Hagrid's crestfallen, disbelieving face†¦. Forgetting that Crookshanks was on his lap. Harry stood up very suddenly; Crookshanks hissed angrily as he landed on the floor, gave Harry a disgusted look, and stalked away with his bottlebrush tail in the air, but Harry was already hurrying up the spiral staircase to his dormitory†¦.He would grab the Invisibility Cloak and go back to the library, he'd stay there all night if he had to†¦. â€Å"Lumos,† Harry whispered fifteen minutes later as he opened the library door. Wand tip alight, he crept along the bookshelves, pulling down more books – books of hexes and charms, books on merpeople and water monsters, books on famous witches and wizards, on magical inventions, on anything at all that might include one passing reference to underwater survival. He carried them over to a table, then set to work, searching them by the narrow beam of his wand, occasionally checking his watch†¦. One in the morning†¦two in the morning†¦the only way he could keep going was to tell himself, over and over again, next book†¦in the next one†¦the next one†¦ The mermaid in the painting in the prefects' bathroom was laughing. Harry was bobbing like a cork in bubbly water next to her rock, while she held his Firebolt over his head. â€Å"Come and get it!† she giggled maliciously. â€Å"Come on, jump!† â€Å"I can't,† Harry panted, snatching at the Firebolt, and struggling not to sink. â€Å"Give it to me!† But she just poked him painfully in the side with the end of the broomstick, laughing at him. â€Å"That hurts – get off – ouch -â€Å" â€Å"Harry Potter must wake up, sir!† â€Å"Stop poking me -â€Å" â€Å"Dobby must poke Harry Potter, sir, he must wake up!† Harry opened his eyes. He was still in the library; the Invisibility Cloak had slipped off his head as he'd slept, and the side of his face was stuck to the pages of Where There's a Wand, There's a Way. He sat up, straightening his glasses, blinking in the bright daylight. â€Å"Harry Potter needs to hurry!† squeaked Dobby. â€Å"The second task starts in ten minutes, and Harry Potter -â€Å" â€Å"Ten minutes?† Harry croaked. â€Å"Ten – ten minutes?† He looked down at his watch. Dobby was right. It was twenty past nine. A large, dead weight seemed to fall through Harry's chest into his stomach. â€Å"Hurry, Harry Potter!† squeaked Dobby, plucking at Harry's sleeve. â€Å"You is supposed to be down by the lake with the other champions, sir!† â€Å"It's too late, Dobby,† Harry said hopelessly. â€Å"I'm not doing the task, I don't know how -â€Å" â€Å"Harry Potter will do the task!† squeaked the elf. â€Å"Dobby knew Harry had not found the right book, so Dobby did it for him!† â€Å"What?† said Harry. â€Å"But you don't know what the second task is -â€Å" â€Å"Dobby knows, sir! Harry Potter has to go into the lake and find his Wheezy -â€Å" â€Å"Find my what?† â€Å"- and take his Wheezy back from the merpeople!† â€Å"What's a Wheezy?† â€Å"Your Wheezy, sir, your Wheezy-Wheezy who is giving Dobby his sweater!† Dobby plucked at the shrunken maroon sweater he was now wearing over his shorts. â€Å"What?† Harry gasped. â€Å"They've got†¦they've got Ron?† â€Å"The thing Harry Potter will miss most, sir!† squeaked Dobby. â€Å"‘But past an hour-‘† â€Å"- ‘the prospect's black,'† Harry recited, staring, horror-struck, at the elf. â€Å"‘Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.' Dobby – what've I got to do?† â€Å"You has to eat this, sir!† squeaked the elf, and he put his hand in the pocket of his shorts and drew out a ball of what looked like slimy, grayish-green rat tails. â€Å"Right before you go into the lake, sir – gillyweed!† â€Å"What's it do?† said Harry, staring at the gillyweed. â€Å"It will make Harry Potter breathe underwater, sir!† â€Å"Dobby,† said Harry frantically, â€Å"listen – are you sure about this?† He couldn't quite forget that the last time Dobby had tried to â€Å"help† him, he had ended up with no bones in his right arm. â€Å"Dobby is quite sure, sir!† said the elf earnestly. â€Å"Dobby hears things, sir, he is a house-elf, he goes all over the castle as he lights the fires and mops the floors. Dobby heard Professor McGonagall and Professor Moody in the staffroom, talking about the next task†¦.Dobby cannot let Harry Potter lose his Wheezy!† Harry's doubts vanished. Jumping to his feet he pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, stuffed it into his bag, grabbed the gillyweed, and put it into his pocket, then tore out of the library with Dobby at his heels. â€Å"Dobby is supposed to be in the kitchens, sir!† Dobby squealed as they burst into the corridor. â€Å"Dobby will be missed – good luck, Harry Potter, sir, good luck!† â€Å"See you later, Dobby!† Harry shouted, and he sprinted along the corridor and down the stairs, three at a time. The entrance hall contained a few last-minute stragglers, all leaving the Great Hall after breakfast and heading through the double oak doors to watch the second task. They stared as Harry flashed past, sending Colin and Dennis Creevey flying as he leapt down the stone steps and out onto the bright, chilly grounds. As he pounded down the lawn he saw that the seats that had encircled the dragons' enclosure in November were now ranged along the opposite bank, rising in stands that were packed to the bursting point and reflected in the lake below. The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water as Harry ran flat-out around the other side of the lake toward the judges, who were sitting at another gold-draped table at the water's edge. Cedric, Fleur, and Krum were beside the judges' table, watching Harry sprint toward them. â€Å"I'm†¦here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry panted, skidding to a halt in the mud and accidentally splattering Fleur's robes. â€Å"Where have you been?† said a bossy, disapproving voice. â€Å"The task's about to start!† Harry looked around. Percy Weasley was sitting at the judges' table – Mr. Crouch had failed to turn up again. â€Å"Now, now, Percy!† said Ludo Bagman, who was looking intensely relieved to see Harry. â€Å"Let him catch his breath!† Dumbledore smiled at Harry, but Karkaroff and Madame Maxime didn't look at all pleased to see him†¦.It was obvious from the looks on their faces that they had thought he wasn't going to turn up. Harry bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath; he had a stitch in his side that felt as though he had a knife between his ribs, but there was no time to get rid of it; Ludo Bagman was now moving among the champions, spacing them along the bank at intervals of ten feet. Harry was on the very end of the line, next to Krum, who was wearing swimming trunks and was holding his wand ready. â€Å"All right. Harry?† Bagman whispered as he moved Harry a few feet farther away from Krum. â€Å"Know what you're going to do?† â€Å"Yeah,† Harry panted, massaging his ribs. Bagman gave Harry's shoulder a quick squeeze and returned to the judges' table; he pointed his wand at his throat as he had done at the World Cup, said, â€Å"Sonorus!† and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands. â€Å"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One†¦two†¦three!† The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were doing, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks, pulled the handful of gillyweed out of his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and waded out into the lake. It was so cold he felt the skin on his legs searing as though this were fire, not icy water. His sodden robes weighed him down as he walked in deeper; now the water was over his knees, and his rapidly numbing feet were slipping over silt and flat, slimy stones. He was chewing the gillyweed as hard and fast as he could; it felt unpleasantly slimy and rubbery, like octopus tentacles. Waist-deep in the freezing water he stopped, swallowed, and waited for something to happen. He could hear laughter in the crowd and knew he must look stupid, walking into the lake without showing any sign of magical power. The part of him that was still dry was covered in goose pimples; half immersed in the icy water, a cruel breeze lifting his hair, Harry started to shiver violently. He avoided looking at the stands; the laughter was becoming louder, and there were catcalls and jeering from the Slytherins†¦. Then, quite suddenly, Harry felt as though an invisible pillow had been pressed over his mouth and nose. He tried to draw breath, but it made his head spin; his lungs were empty, and he suddenly felt a piercing pain on either side of his neck – Harry clapped his hands around his throat and felt two large slits just below his ears, flapping in the cold air†¦.He had gills. Without pausing to think, he did the only thing that made sense – he flung himself forward into the water. The first gulp of icy lake water felt like the breath of life. His head had stopped spinning; he took another great gulp of water and felt it pass smoothly through his gills, sending oxygen back to his brain. He stretched out his hands in front of him and stared at them. They looked green and ghostly under the water, and they had become webbed. He twisted around and looked at his bare feet – they had become elongated and the toes were webbed too: It looked as though he had sprouted flippers. The water didn't feel icy anymore either†¦on the contrary, he felt pleasantly cool and very light†¦.Harry struck out once more, marveling at how far and fast his flipper-like feet propelled him through the vater, and noticing how clearly he could see, and how he no longer seemed to need to blink. He had soon swum so far into the lake that he could no longer see the bottom. He flipped over and dived into its depths. Silence pressed upon his ears as he soared over a strange, dark, foggy landscape. He could only see ten feet around him, so that as he sped throuugh the water new scenes seemed to loom suddenly out of the incoming darkness: forests of rippling, tangled black weed, wide plains of mud littered with dull, glimmering stones. He swam deeper and deeper, out toward the middle of the lake, his eyes wide, staring through the eerily gray-lit water around him to the shadow beyond, where the water became opaque. Small fish flickered past him like silver darts. Once or twice he thought he saw something larger moving ahead of him, but when he got nearer, he discovered it to be nothing but a large, blackened log, or a dense clump of weed. There was no sign of any of the other champions, merpeople, Ron – nor, thankfully, the giant squid. Light green weed stretched ahead of him as far as he could see, two feet deep, like a meadow of very overgrown grass. Harry was staring unblinkingly ahead of him, trying to discern shapes through the gloom†¦and then, without warning, something grabbed hold of his ankle. Harry twisted his body around and saw a grindylow, a small, horned water demon, poking out of the weed, its long fingers clutched tightly around Harry's leg, its pointed fangs bared – Harry stuck his webbed hand quickly inside his robes and fumbled for his wand. By the time he had grasped it, two more grindylows had risen out of the weed, had seized handfuls of Harry's robes, and were attempting to drag him down. â€Å"Relashio!† Harry shouted, except that no sound came out†¦.A large bubble issued from his mouth, and his wand, instead of sending sparks at the grindylows, pelted them with what seemed to be a jet of boiling water, for where it struck them, angry red patches appeared on their green skin. Harry pulled his ankle out of the grindylows grip and swam, as fast as he could, occasionally sending more jets of hot water over his shoulder at random; every now and then he felt one of the grindylows snatch at his foot again, and he kicked out, hard; finally, he felt his foot connect with a horned skull, and looking back, saw the dazed grindylow floating away, cross-eyed, while its fellows shook their fists at Harry and sank back into the weed. Harry slowed down a little, slipped his wand back inside his robes, and looked around, listening again. He turned full circle in the water, the silence pressing harder than ever against his eardrums. He knew he must be even deeper in the lake now, but nothing was moving but the rippling weed. â€Å"How are you getting on?† Harry thought he was having a heart attack. He whipped around and saw Moaning Myrtle floating hazily in front of him, gazing at him through her thick, pearly glasses. â€Å"Myrtle!† Harry tried to shout – but once again, nothing came out of his mouth but a very large bubble. Moaning Myrtle actually giggled. â€Å"You want to try over there!† she said, pointing. â€Å"I won't come with you†¦.I don't like them much, they always chase me when I get too close†¦.† Harry gave her the thumbs-up to show his thanks and set off once more, careful to swim a bit higher over the weed to avoid any more grindylows that might be lurking there. He swam on for what felt like at least twenty minutes. He was passing over vast expanses of black mud now, which swirled murkily as he disturbed the water. Then, at long last, he heard a snatch of haunting mersong. â€Å"An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry swam faster and soon saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid. Harry swam on past the rock, following the mersong. â€Å"†¦your time's half gone, so tarry not Lest what you seek stays here to rot†¦.† A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed suddenly out of the gloom on all sides. Here and there at the dark windows, Harry saw faces†¦faces that bore no resemblance at all to the painting of the mermaid in the prefects' bathroom†¦. The merpeople had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of pebbles around their necks. They leered at Harry as he swam past; one or two of them emerged from their caves to watch him better, their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands. Harry sped on, staring around, and soon the dwellings became more numerous; there were gardens of weed around some of them, and he even saw a pet grindylow tied to a stake outside one door. Merpeople were emerging on all sides now, watching him eagerly, pointing at his webbed hands and gills, talking behind their hands to one another. Harry sped around a corner and a very strange sight met his eyes. A whole crowd of merpeople was floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of merpeople was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merperson hewn from a boulder. Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson. Ron was tied between Hermione and Cho Chang. There was also a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery hair made Harry feel sure that she was Fleur Delacour's sister. All four of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths. Harry sped toward the hostages, half expecting the merpeople to lower their spears and charge at him, but they did nothing. The ropes of weed tying the hostages to the statue were thick, slimy, and very strong. For a fleeting second he thought of the knife Sirius had bought him for Christmas – locked in his trunk in the castle a quarter of a mile away, no use to him whatsoever. He looked around. Many of the merpeople surrounding them were carrying spears. He swam swiftly toward a seven-foot-tall merman with a long green beard and a choker of shark fangs and tried to mime a request to borrow the spear. The merman laughed and shook his head. â€Å"We do not help,† he said in a harsh, croaky voice. â€Å"Come ON!† Harry said fiercely (but only bubbles issued from his mouth), and he tried to pull the spear away from the merman, but the merman yanked it back, still shaking his head and laughing. Harry swirled around, staring about. Something sharp†¦anything†¦ There were rocks littering the lake bottom. He dived and snatched up a particularly jagged one and returned to the statue. He began to hack at the ropes binding Ron, and after several minutes' hard work, they broke apart. Ron floated, unconscious, a few inches above the lake bottom, drifting a little in the ebb of the water. Harry looked around. There was no sign of any of the other champions. What were they playing at? Why didn't they hurry up? He turned back to Hermione, raised the jagged rock, and began to hack at her bindings too – At once, several pairs of strong gray hands seized him. Half a dozen mermen were pulling him away from Hermione, shaking their green-haired heads, and laughing. â€Å"You take your own hostage,† one of them said to him. â€Å"Leave the others†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No way!† said Harry furiously – but only two large bubbles came out. Your task is to retrieve your own friend†¦leave the others†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She's my friend too!† Harry yelled, gesturing toward Hermione, an enormous silver bubble emerging soundlessly from his lips. â€Å"And I don't want them to die either!† Cho's head was on Hermione's shoulder; the small silver-haired girl was ghostly green and pale. Harry struggled to fight off the mermen, but they laughed harder than ever, holding him back. Harry looked wildly around. Where were the other champions? Would he have time to take Ron to the surface and come back down for Hermione and the others? Would he be able to find them again? He looked down at his watch to see how much time was left – it had stopped working. But then the merpeople around him pointed excitedly over his head. Harry looked up and saw Cedric swimming toward them. There was an enormous bubble around his head, which made his features look oddly wide and stretched. â€Å"Got lost!† he mouthed, looking panic-stricken. â€Å"Fleur and Krum're coming now!† Feeling enormously relieved, Harry watched Cedric pull a knife out of his pocket and cut Cho free. He pulled her upward and out of sight. Harry looked around, waiting. Where were Fleur and Krum? Time was getting short, and according to the song, the hostages would be lost after an hour†¦. The merpeople started screeching animatedly. Those holding Harry loosened their grip, staring behind them. Harry turned and saw something monstrous cutting through the water toward them: a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark†¦.It was Krum. He appeared to have transfigured himself – but badly. The shark-man swam straight to Hermione and began snapping and biting at her ropes; the trouble was that Krum's new teeth were positioned very awkwardly for biting anything smaller than a dolphin, and Harry was quite sure that if Krum wasn't careful, he was going to rip Hermione in half. Darting forward. Harry hit Krum hard on the shoulder and held up the jagged stone. Krum seized it and began to cut Hermione free. Within seconds, he had done it; he grabbed Hermione around the waist, and without a backward glance, began to rise rapidly with her toward the surface. Now what? Harry thought desperately. If he could be sure that Fleur was coming†¦.But still no sign. There was nothing to be done except†¦ He snatched up the stone, which Krum had dropped, but the mermen now closed in around Ron and the little girl, shaking their heads at him. Harry pulled out his wand. â€Å"Get out of the way!† Only bubbles flew out of his mouth, but he had the distinct impression that the mermen had understood him, because they suddenly stopped laughing. Their yellowish eyes were fixed upon Harry's wand, and they looked scared. There might be a lot more of them than there were of him, but Harry could tell, by the looks on their faces, that they knew no more magic than the giant squid did. â€Å"You've got until three!† Harry shouted; a great stream of bubbles burst from him, but he held up three fingers to make sure they got the message. â€Å"One†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (he put down a finger) â€Å"two†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (he put down a second one) – They scattered. Harry darted forward and began to hack at the ropes binding the small girl to the statue, and at last she was free. He seized the little girl around the waist, grabbed the neck of Ron's robes, and kicked off from the bottom. It was very slow work. He could no longer use his webbed hands to propel himself forward; he worked his flippers furiously, but Ron and Fleur's sister were like potato-filled sacks dragging him back down†¦.He fixed his eyes skyward, though he knew he must still be very deep, the water above him was so dark†¦. Merpeople were rising with him. He could see them swirling around him with ease, watching him struggle through the water†¦.Would they pull him back down to the depths when the time was up? Did they perhaps eat humans? Harry's legs were seizing up with the effort to keep swimming; his shoulders were aching horribly with the effort of dragging Ron and the girl†¦ He was drawing breath with extreme difficulty. He could feel pain on the sides of his neck again†¦he was becoming very aware of how wet the water was in his mouth†¦yet the darkness was definitely thinning now†¦he could see daylight above him†¦. He kicked hard with his flippers and discovered that they were nothing more than feet†¦water was flooding through his mouth into his lungs†¦he was starting to feel dizzy, but he knew light and air were only ten feet above him†¦he had to get there†¦he had to†¦ Harry kicked his legs so hard and fast it felt as though his muscles were screaming in protest; his very brain felt waterlogged, he couldn't breathe, he needed oxygen, he had to keep going, he could not stop – And then he felt his head break the surface of the lake; wonderful, cold, clear air was making his wet face sting; he gulped it down, feeling as though he had never breathed properly before, and, panting, pulled Ron and the little girl up with him. All around him, wild, green-haired heads were emerging out of the water with him, but they were smiling at him. The crowd in the stands was making a great deal of noise; shouting and screaming, they all seemed to be on their feet; Harry had the impression they thought that Ron and the little girl might be dead, but they were wrong†¦both of them had opened their eyes; the girl looked scared and confused, but Ron merely expelled a great spout of water, blinked in the bright light, turned to Harry, and said, â€Å"Wet, this, isn't it?† Then he spotted Fleur's sister. â€Å"What did you bring her for?† â€Å"Fleur didn't turn up, I couldn't leave her,† Harry panted. â€Å"Harry, you prat,† said Ron, â€Å"you didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!† â€Å"The song said -â€Å" â€Å"It was only to make sure you got back inside the time limit!† said Ron. â€Å"I hope you didn't waste time down there acting the hero!† Harry felt both stupid and annoyed. It was all very well for Ron; he'd been asleep, he hadn't felt how eerie it was down in the lake, surrounded by spear-carrying merpeople who'd looked more than capable of murder. â€Å"C'mon,† Harry said shortly, â€Å"help me with her, I don't think she can swim very well.† They pulled Fleur's sister through the water, back toward the bank where the judges stood watching, twenty merpeople accompanying them like a guard of honor, singing their horrible screechy songs. Harry could see Madam Pomfrey fussing over Hermione, Krum, Cedric, and Cho, all of whom were wrapped in thick blankets. Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman stood beaming at Harry and Ron from the bank as they swam nearer, but Percy, who looked very white and somehow much younger than usual, came splashing out to meet them. Meanwhile Madame Maxime was trying to restrain Fleur Delacour, who was quite hysterical, fighting tooth and nail to return to the water. â€Å"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she ‘urt?† â€Å"She's fine!† Harry tried to tell her, but he was so exhausted he could hardly talk, let alone shout. Percy seized Ron and was dragging him back to the bank (â€Å"Gerroff, Percy, I'm all right!†); Dumbledore and Bagman were pulling Harry upright; Fleur had broken free of Madame Maxime and was hugging her sister. â€Å"It was ze grindylows†¦zey attacked me†¦oh Gabrielle, I thought†¦I thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come here, you,† said Madam Pomfrey. She seized Harry and pulled him over to Hermione and the others, wrapped him so tightly in a blanket that he felt as though he were in a straitjacket, and forced a measure of very hot potion down his throat. Steam gushed out of his ears. â€Å"Harry, well done!† Hermione cried. â€Å"You did it, you found out how all by yourself!† â€Å"Well -† said Harry. He would have told her about Dobby, but he had just noticed Karkaroff watching him. He was the only judge who had not left the table; the only judge not showing signs of pleasure and relief that Harry, Ron, and Fleur's sister had got back safely. â€Å"Yeah, that's right,† said Harry, raising his voice slightly so that Karkaroff could hear him. â€Å"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny,† said Krum. Harry had the impression that Krum was drawing her attention back onto himself; perhaps to remind her that he had just rescued her from the lake, but Hermione brushed away the beetle impatiently and said, â€Å"You're well outside the time limit, though, Harry†¦.Did it take you ages to find us?† â€Å"No†¦I found you okay†¦.† Harry's feeling of stupidity was growing. Now he was out of the water, it seemed perfectly clear that Dumbledores safety precautions wouldn't have permitted the death of a hostage just because their champion hadn't turned up. Why hadn't he just grabbed Ron and gone? He would have been first back†¦.Cedric and Krum hadn't wasted time worrying about anyone else; they hadn't taken the mersong seriously†¦. Dumbledore was crouching at the water's edge, deep in conversation with what seemed to be the chief merperson, a particularly wild and ferocious-looking female. He was making the same sort of screechy noises that the merpeople made when they were above water; clearly, Dumbledore could speak Mermish. Finally he straightened up, turned to his fellow judges, and said, â€Å"A conference before we give the marks, I think.† The judges went into a huddle. Madam Pomfrey had gone to rescue Ron from Percy's clutches; she led him over to Harry and the others, gave him a blanket and some Pepperup Potion, then went to fetch Fleur and her sister. Fleur had many cuts on her face and arms and her robes were torn, but she didn't seem to care, nor would she allow Madam Pomfrey to clean them. â€Å"Look after Gabrielle,† she told her, and then she turned to Harry. â€Å"You saved ‘er,† she said breathlessly. â€Å"Even though she was not your ‘ostage.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, who was now heartily wishing he'd left all three girls tied to the statue. Fleur bent down, kissed Harry twice on each cheek (he felt his face burn and wouldn't have been surprised if steam was coming out of his ears again), then said to Ron, â€Å"And you too-you ‘elped -â€Å" â€Å"Yeah,† said Ron, looking extremely hopeful, â€Å"yeah, a bit -â€Å" Fleur swooped down on him too and kissed him. Hermione looked simply furious, but just then, Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed out beside them, making them all jump, and causing the crowd in the stands to go very quiet. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows†¦. â€Å"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points.† Applause from the stands. â€Å"I deserved zero,† said Fleur throatily, shaking her magnificent head. â€Å"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour.† Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd; Harry saw Cho give Cedric a glowing look. â€Å"We therefore award him forty-seven points.† Harry's heart sank. If Cedric had been outside the time limit, he most certainly had been. â€Å"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points.† Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior. â€Å"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect,† Bagman continued. â€Å"He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own.† Ron and Hermione both gave Harry half-exasperated, half-commiserating looks. â€Å"Most of the judges,† and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, â€Å"feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However†¦Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points.† Harry's stomach leapt – he was now tying for first place with Cedric. Ron and Hermione, caught by surprise, stared at Harry, then laughed and started applauding hard with the rest of the crowd. â€Å"There you go. Harry!† Ron shouted over the noise. â€Å"You weren't being thick after all – you were showing moral fiber!† Fleur was clapping very hard too, but Krum didn't look happy at all. He attempted to engage Hermione in conversation again, but she was too busy cheering Harry to listen. â€Å"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June,† continued Bagman. â€Å"The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions.† It was over. Harry thought dazedly, as Madam Pomfrey began herding the champions and hostages back to the castle to get into dry clothes†¦it was over, he had got through†¦he didn't have to worry about anything now until June the twenty-fourth†¦. Next time he was in Hogsmeade, Harry decided as he walked back up the stone steps into the castle, he was going to buy Dobby a pair of socks for every day of the year.